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From the it never hurts to toot your horn department of governmental affairs:

The DWC has issued a bulletin noting that they have finally cleared their backlog of QME panel requests. Between April and June 2010 they processed about 41% of the number of QME panels they processed in 2009.

You can do the math on the back of that envelope. In two months they have issued almost as many panels as in 6 months in 2009.

There had been widespread dissatisfaction in the comp community about how the DWC Medical Unit was handling panels. Adjusters, defense attorneys, applicant attorneys, and judges all were unhappy with the slow pace of issuance of panels, particularly in represented worker cases.

Part of the problem was staffing. But a large part appears to have been the administrative philosophy. For several years the DWC Medical Unit had allowed a slew of technicalities to slow issuance of panels.

In some cases this frustrated parties who were simply seeking to move the ball down field.

While some of the delays were undoubtedly caused by ambiguities in requests or improperly filled out forms, parties found that attempts to clarify or provide supplemental information to the unit were often ignored.

Now the Medical Unit appears to be focusing on getting the panels out.Parties who believe they have valid objections to the panels may need to seek relief from a judge at the WCAB.

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About Julius Young

A Partner at Boxer & Gerson LLP, Julius has practiced worker’s compensation and social security disability law since 1979. He has represented thousands of individuals who have sustained life-changing injuries or illnesses while on the job. In every case, his goal is to secure the medical treatments his clients need.